As shown in FIG. 3, an optical fiber cord includes a jacketed optical fiber 1 formed of an optical fiber 1a covered by a coating 1b of nylon or the like, a tension member 2 of aramid fibers (filaments) or the like arranged around the jacketed optical fiber 1, and a sheath 3 of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) covering these elements. An optical connector for optically connecting optical fiber cords is attached to an end portion of the jacketed optical fiber 1.
This optical connector is assembled from a plurality of components. As shown in FIG. 4, for example, a rubber boot 4, ring 5, caulking ring 6, stop ring 7, and spring 8 are previously mounted, in the order named, on the optical fiber cord to which the optical connector is attached.
The sheath 3 at the distal end portion of the optical fiber cord is removed, and a ferrule 9 is attached to the distal end of the exposed jacketed optical fiber 1. Then, the components 4 to 8 are successively pushed out toward the ferrule 9 in front, as indicated by the arrows, and are fixed to one another, and thereafter, a plug frame 10 is fitted on them, whereupon the optical connector is assembled. Conventionally, these operations are performed manually.
In performing this assembling operation, the caulking ring 6 is staked (i.e., pressed) so that the tension member (filaments or fibers) 2 is caught and held between the caulking ring 6 and the stop ring 7, and the distal end of the sheath 3 is held between the ring 5 and the caulking ring 6, as shown in FIG. 5, thereby providing the tensile strength of a mounting portion of the optical fiber cord for the optical connector.
When the caulking ring 6 and the stop ring 7 are pushed out forward, in assembling this optical connector, the tension member 2 and the sheath 3 are inevitably caught between the jacketed optical fiber 1 and the stop ring 7 and between the jacketed optical fiber 1 and the caulking ring 6, respectively, as shown in FIG. 6. In the assembling operation for the optical connector, therefore, the tension member 2 and the sheath 3 must be drawn out of the stop ring 7 and the caulking ring 6, respectively, before staking the caulking ring 6.
Having a wall thickness greater than that of the tension member 2, however, the sheath 3 cannot be easily drawn out of the caulking ring 6, so that the removal work is very troublesome. Thus, the assembling operation for the optical connector is difficult, so that the productivity is low, and moreover, the assembling operation for the optical connector cannot be mechanized.
The present invention has been contrived in consideration of these circumstances, and its object is to provide a high-productivity optical connector which is attached to an end portion of an optical fiber cord, and whose assembling operation is easy and can be mechanized.